University students still spending more time at home – The Minnesota Daily

The impact of the pandemic remains as University of Minnesota students still spend most of their time at home.

Accordingly, Americans will spend more time working from home in 2023 than before the pandemic Data from the American Time Use Survey released in June. About 35% of the workforce did some or all of their work from home in 2023, compared to just 24% in 2019.

Liza Meredith, a licensed psychologist and university professor who studies the mental health of college students, said the pandemic has given people a complicated relationship with the comfort and routine of home.

“Sometimes we can develop really ingrained routines at home that don’t even help us anymore, right?” Meredith said. “It could stop us from saying ‘yes’ to a really good opportunity, like going out and seeing friends, going to a concert, or doing something we’re passionate about.”

In a survey of college students conducted by Minnesota Daily, about 89% of respondents said schoolwork is one of the two things they spend the most time doing at home.

Tristan Sohr, a third-year student, said he does most of his schoolwork in his off-campus apartment because that’s where he feels most comfortable, even though he knows he’s more likely to be distracted there.

“Because it’s the environment that I’ve created around myself, there are a lot of things that I enjoy,” Sohr said. “So instead of working on an assignment, I might end up using my 3D printer or something completely different, non-productive, at least for school work.”

Meredith said there is a positive side to work-life balance from the ongoing pandemic effect.

“Maybe the pandemic has slowed some of us down and made us realize, ‘I don’t need to do as much of what I did before,'” Meredith said. “If people still sometimes go out and do the things that are important to them, it’s not so bad if they do a little less than they used to.”

According to the Minnesota Daily survey, exactly 75% of students said they feel rested at home and 25% said they prefer to engage in activities outside of their home.

Third-year university student Wayde DeYoe said the pandemic has changed the way he and his friends socialize today, spending more time communicating online than in person.

“We used to hang out in person and play board games,” DeYoe said. “But is there really any reason to go to a friend’s house to play games when you can just do it online?”

These settings at home could change. The majority of students who responded to the survey said they are spending the same or less time at home now than they did before the pandemic.

Meredith said she has seen a notable difference in her first-year students’ preferences for being on campus this fall compared to her 2023 students.

“I don’t let students miss class as much anymore, they seem to be more in the habit of coming in in person to do something,” Meredith said. “Last year I gave students the choice of taking the exam from home or in an exam room and very few people came into the exam room.”

Data from the American Time Use Survey for 2024 won’t be available until next year, so changes in how Americans spend their time at home won’t be clear until then.

DeYoe said he does most of his schoolwork on campus because that’s where he feels most focused.

Meredith said she feels more productive in her own life when she works in person and goes out during the day, and believes college students may face a similar learning curve post-pandemic.

“When they are forced to go out, they have a better experience and a better day,” Meredith said. “Maybe this kind of reward that they get for a better day, namely being outside, will help us change our preferences over time.”